The Beautiful Sound of Rain
by ilovetvalot
Summary: After a bitter estrangement, can JJ and Rossi find their way back to one another. FOURSHOT
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting for our stories to be posted. We appreciate your support and apologize for any delays. Real life, however, has taken precedence! We always want to be able to provide you with quality stories and chapters, so our postings may be a bit sporadic over the next month.**_

_**Please check out our most recent challenge on our forum – March Madness! The guidelines are simple: You suggest a pairing and choose a TV title from the list provided (shows are from the 70s, 80s, and 90s). We'll assign out the pairings & suggestions by March 4, and you have until March 31 to create just the perfect story based on the prompts you receive. Your final story does NOT have to be about the TV show prompt, but you do have to use the TV show title in the story somehow. Check out our forum, Chit Chat on Author's Corner, for details and to sign up…you can find a link on our profile pages.**_

_**And please, check out our new forum topic: A Fanfic Glossary! We want to know if you guys find it helpful and our topic thread "Our Stance on the 2010 Criminal Minds Fanfic Awards".**_

_**As always, we do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters that we so enjoy writing. If we did own them, we would have never had JJ leave!**_

* * *

**The Beautiful Sound of the Rain**

**Chapter One**

Her stricken eyes filled with tears as she spotted him across the crowded room, his lips pressed to some woman she had never seen before.

He was fine, her mind screamed in horror, her eyes unable to stop staring at the one man that had stolen her heart.

He was FINE, and yet she was suffocating amid a sea of laughing, smiling faces. Swallowing, she stumbled toward the door just as his eyes met hers. She could see him open his mouth...taking a step in her direction.

No! Flee, Jennifer, her jumbled mind ordered her as he progressed across the room.

She wasn't ready. Not now. Not for a confrontation that she was fairly certain would flay what she had left of her confidence. Stumbling toward the terrace door of the banquet room, she jerked it open, hoping that the dark night and expanding crowd would swallow her whole. She had to run...she had to put as much distance between her and her pain as possible.

Skirting couples standing on the covered dais, she found a deserted corner and sank to the iron bench against the wall. She just needed to catch her breath...give the crowd a moment to absorb David Rossi and whatever flavor of the week he'd currently had latched his arm...then she could leave with as much dignity as she'd arrived with...which wasn't much. Not anymore. Her dignity had evaporated when she had allowed him to decimate her life.

Damn him for looking well...damn him to hell. He'd been as handsome as ever, clad in a dark tuxedo that seemed to have been tailored specifically for him. From what she'd seen during the brief moments her eyes had found him, he appeared to be fine...like they'd never loved and lost at all. She envied him that...she who hadn't slept through the night in weeks. She, who still woke up reaching for him...crying out his name. She, who still cried herself to sleep every night, her pillow bearing the brunt of her emotions.

Folding in on herself, her flowing gown swishing against her legs, she felt the familiar prick behind her closed eyes. Please, not here...don't let me lose control here, she prayed almost pleadingly. Inhaling deeply as the sound of falling rain fell outside, beyond the covered alcove she sat in, she smiled bitterly. The sound mocked her. It used to be music to her ears, the sound of falling rain. She could sit for hours in the swing on the porch of David's cabin listening to the soothing plop of raindrops descending from the sky. Now, each plop against the damp lawn shattered something inside her soul.

Why had she come tonight? She'd known seeing him was a possibility. Of course, he'd bring someone. It was a charity gala hosted by Ambassador Prentiss herself, and the entire team had made plans to support Emily, whose attendance had been mandatory. Originally, they'd planned to come together. But that had been weeks ago, well before their combined lives had all fallen apart.

She'd trained herself not to react to his nearness at work, building a thick impenetrable wall around herself while on the job, professionalism trumping any desires that might attempt to overtake her. There, she could stare right through him. There, she could pretend that nothing ever happened. There, you didn't have to watch him wrapped in another woman's arms, her mind taunted her as visions from just a few minutes earlier refused to fade.

Why the hell hadn't she considered the possibility that he'd moved on before she'd come here tonight?

Hell, she knew why. It was because any kind of contemplation regarding David Rossi beyond their working relationship threatened to send her to the brink of insanity. And she knew that if she ever crossed that line...it might be her point of no return.

And as she found herself sinking deeper and deeper into the overwhelming thoughts, she barely heard the steady plopping of footsteps approaching her self-imposed exile.

"I figured I'd find you out here," a deep familiar voice drawled from behind her.

And closing her eyes against a fresh wave of pain, Jennifer Jareau slowly felt something die inside her…once again.

/XXX/

Quickening his footsteps as he skirted another gathered group of people milling about, David Rossi's eyes searched frantically for her. Just a glimpse, that was all he needed...just a small glimpse to satisfy the gaping hole in his soul.

Inhaling deeply, he forced himself to slow down and to think logically. He knew her well, and she couldn't have gotten far. After all, he'd been standing between her and the door when he'd met her anguished eyes across the room, so her avenues of escape were limited.

Silently cursing Vivian LaRue and her overeager lips again, David shook his head. Of all the times for his ex-wife to lay one on him...her timing certainly hadn't improved since the divorce all those long years ago. And he knew to his core the assumption JJ had made when she'd seen him….it had been obvious as she had stared in horror at him.

It had been her greatest fear. Oh, she had never truly voiced it to him, but in all the months that they had spent together…lived together…loved together, he had easily learned to read between the lines that was the book of Jennifer Jareau. And he had known that she was positively wary of his reputation for chasing other women, which he had attempted to overcome at every juncture.

But he had honestly and truly believed that he had proven to her his faithfulness…his love for her and her alone. From the first moment he had laid eyes on the beautiful blonde, he had been enamored with her very being. He had left the Bureau that night only to awaken from his dreams…dreams filled with her. And slowly but surely, he had taken every possible step to find a way to make the first move into Jennifer Jareau's life.

And what a move it had been. Lost in his thoughts, Dave let his mind wander back in time as he remembered the very first time he had convinced the beauty to take a chance on him…on them. It had been an event much like this one, a political function where they each were forced to make an appearance in order to satisfy the powers that be. But for them…together as a couple…it had been much more. It had been the start of something amazing….wonderful…life changing.

But life changing was not always a welcome thing, as he soon found out.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting for our stories to be posted. We appreciate your support and apologize for any delays. Real life, however, has taken precedence! We always want to be able to provide you with quality stories and chapters, so our postings may be a bit sporadic over the next month.**_

_**Please check out our most recent challenge on our forum – March Madness! The guidelines are simple: You suggest a pairing and choose a TV title from the list provided (shows are from the 70s, 80s, and 90s). We'll assign out the pairings & suggestions by March 4, and you have until March 31 to create just the perfect story based on the prompts you receive. Your final story does NOT have to be about the TV show prompt, but you do have to use the TV show title in the story somehow. Check out our forum, Chit Chat on Author's Corner, for details and to sign up…you can find a link on our profile pages.**_

_**And please, check out our new forum topic: A Fanfic Glossary! We want to know if you guys find it helpful and our topic thread "Our Stance on the 2010 Criminal Minds Fanfic Awards". We have also opened a Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior thread where you may discuss the show (respectfully, of course). We also have a forum announcing our fellow author's (Kathi1C) new IheartCriminalMinds blog. You can ask her questions and get directions on going to her site.**_

_**As always, we do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters that we so enjoy writing. If we did own them, we would have never had JJ leave!**_

* * *

**The Beautiful Sound of Rain**

**Chapter Two**

Life changing, he thought with a snort, bringing himself back to his senses. Hell, how his life had changed. Over those glorious months they had spent together, he had whole-heartedly believed what had turned out to be a lie. He had held on to the slightest glimmer of a future, and he would have sworn that she had been, too. But it had been for naught. The dream evaporated into thin air, leaving him left with nothing but shadows in his mind that begged for answers. And the answers were not forthcoming.

She had walked out almost as easily as she had first walked in. And she had taken all hope of understanding with her. Her entirely too casual words still rang in his ears, empty phrases filled with clichés of "it's not you, it's me" followed by "we're just not meant to be." He had tried, with every fiber of his being, to find the truth, to dig for meaning, to capture what was just out of reach. But she had been silent…uncompromising….unyielding.

And she had left him.

Oh, he still saw her almost every day, their professional lives still as entwined as their personal lives had once been. And those shared stilted encounters, filled with case files and Bureau mumbo jumbo, only served to stoke the fires of anger and confusion that had taken residence inside his soul. David Rossi was not a man given to just letting go, especially when it was something…or someone…he wanted. And want was a mild term to describe how he felt about the complicated young woman that had shattered his heart.

And now, here she was, in his sights once again. And he'd be damned if he let her get away this easily. Especially when he had some unfinished business to attend to.

If only he could find her.

Spotting the French rain spattered terrace doors, Dave's eyes narrowed as he zoned in on the exit.

Gotcha.

If he'd learned anything at all about the beautiful woman he'd spent almost a year loving and learning, it was that rain was a beacon to her. Any time she smelled it...heard it...saw it...she gravitated toward it.

It soothed her. Like a balm, it beckoned her.

And now, it beckoned him as well.

His eyes adjusted easily to the darkened night as he stepped on to the stone patio, and a few quick footsteps later, he spotted her.

Sitting alone, her posture was defensive, almost as if she was bracing for an attack. Moving slowly toward her, he spoke, keeping his voice calm and even. "I figured I'd find you out here."

She stiffened as she heard that deep voice that still whispered to her in her dreams. Biting her lip, she fought for control. "Go away, Dave. Please," she whispered huskily, her eyes barely focusing on the cobblestoned patio, unable to look at him.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly, hating that he cared...that it still mattered to him. But he couldn't just stand there and watch her in such obvious distress without asking…he couldn't be that man that just ignored a woman…this woman….in distress.

Grimacing, JJ slowly raised her head, staring straight ahead. "Does it matter?" she asked faintly, her eyes watching as the fat raindrops fell against the grass nearby. "You seemed quite occupied earlier, Dave," she commented archly, well aware that her remark sounded catty in the stillness of the night. "I'm sure she's waiting for you."

"You saw that, did you?" he asked, mildly satisfied when he saw her pained wince. If he still had the ability to hurt her, to make her feel something, maybe all wasn't lost. He still had some form of influence with her…and perhaps that might extend in the positive direction, also.

"I saw," she breathed, her eyes closing as searing pain wrapped around her heart, the image of him kissing another woman burned indelibly in her mind. Try as she might, she couldn't seem to overcome that very moment.

"You act as though it bothers you," he said blandly, taking a step toward the bench where she sat. "Which surprises me, you know. Do I need to remind you that you left me, JJ? Without a backward fucking glance, you walked away. From us."

Jaw dropping as his words slammed into her, she turned to look at him helplessly, her eyes shining in the moonlight. "Is that what you think?"

"I was left to draw my own fucking conclusions," he snapped, the burning anger he'd spent weeks nursing roaring to the surface, flooding him, overwhelming him with its fury. "Do you really blame me for trying to move on?" Watching her face blanch, Dave grimaced, but not willing to stop his attack. "What's your secret, Bella? You've walked around for weeks, looking right through me...Tell me, what's your secret for letting go?"

"Dave-," she said hoarsely, the ache in her chest nearly doubling her over, her heart pounding wildly. "Please just stop."

"Hey," he shrugged, unable to stop the venom pouring past his lips, "I'm not the one that ran away in the middle of the night, Jen. I'm not the one that gave some lame ass excuse and bailed on a good thing! I'm the guy still living with your goodbye."

Pushing off the bench, JJ stood on shaking legs as she searched for escape, unable to stomach the raw anger he was projecting.

"Still running, Jen?" Dave spat, stepping in front of her, blocking her path as she took a halting step forward. "Not this time."

"Don't do this," JJ whispered, her shoulders drooping even further as she tried to step around him. "Please?" she begged softly as a teardrop splashed against her cheek.

"What?" Dave growled. "Don't what?" he bit out. "Ask you for an explanation? Don't expect you to have enough goddamned respect for what we had to at least offer me a little insight on why you lit a match to our fucking life?" he barked, his inquiry a demand.

"What life?" JJ cried, furious tears spilling down her cheeks as she slapped a hand against his strong chest. "What life did we have together, Dave?"

* * *

**Dedicated to my twin sons on their birthday. Nathaniel, Mommy loves you! Elijah, I know you watch over us from heaven!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting for our stories to be posted. We appreciate your support and apologize for any delays. Real life, however, has taken precedence! We always want to be able to provide you with quality stories and chapters, so our postings may be a bit sporadic over the next month.**_

_**Please check out our most recent challenge on our forum – March Madness! The guidelines are simple: You suggest a pairing and choose a TV title from the list provided (shows are from the 70s, 80s, and 90s). We'll assign out the pairings & suggestions by March 4, and you have until March 31 to create just the perfect story based on the prompts you receive. Your final story does NOT have to be about the TV show prompt, but you do have to use the TV show title in the story somehow. Check out our forum, Chit Chat on Author's Corner, for details and to sign up…you can find a link on our profile pages.**_

_**And please, check out our new forum topic: A Fanfic Glossary! We want to know if you guys find it helpful and our topic thread "Our Stance on the 2010 Criminal Minds Fanfic Awards". We have also opened a Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior thread where you may discuss the show (respectfully, of course). We also have a forum announcing our fellow author's (Kathi1C) new IheartCriminalMinds blog. You can ask her questions and get directions on going to her site.**_

_**As always, we do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters that we so enjoy writing. If we did own them, we would have never had JJ leave!**_

* * *

**The Beautiful Sound of Rain**

**Chapter Three**

"How the hell can you ask me that? We were happy, damn you!" he retorted, grabbing her by the arms and shaking her slightly.

"YOU were happy!" JJ screamed, slapping his chest again, this time with both hands, not caring who might be witnessing their small exchange. "I was expected to take what you had to offer and not ask for more, remember?" she asked bitterly, bile rising in her throat as she tried to swallow against the pain. "Let me go!" she yelled, wrenching away from him and running into the hotel's thick gardens.

Flabbergasted, Dave stood rooted to where he stood for a moment as JJ ran, her white dress glowing in the moonlight. "Damn it, Jennifer, wait!" Dave shouted, catapulting after her as she disappeared behind a copse of darkened trees.

The rain soaked him as he chased after her. And damn, she was quick, her hair flying behind her as she flew down the cobblestone path. Finally putting on a burst of speed, he caught up to her, wrapping a hand around her bare arm and pulling her to a stop. "Stop fucking running away!" he yelled at her as he spun her around to face him. "Talk to me!" he shouted above the rain.

Shaking her head, JJ felt the raindrops mix with her tears. "There's nothing left to say. You've moved on," she yelled back, gesturing toward the glowing windows of the hotel. "She's waiting on you! Go try to give her what you couldn't manage to give me."

"The only thing waiting for me in there is a fucking scotch, Jennifer," Dave snapped, keeping his hand firmly wrapped around her wrist. There was no way in hell he was letting her slip away again. And if that meant he had to keep her shackled to his side, so be it. "The bitch kissed ME, not the other way around! I came alone. I've been alone. Since the goddamn minute you walked out on me, I've been alone!"

Choking on a sob as she saw the wounded eyes staring back at her, JJ shook her head. "Just let me go, Dave," she pleaded, trying to pull away from his iron grip but finding the efforts to be futile. "This isn't doing either of us any good."

Ignoring her plea, Dave demanded, pulling her closer, "Tell me why you left me. What didn't I offer you? What wasn't I giving you?"

"If I have to tell you that, you don't have it to give me," JJ said sadly, swiping at her damp hair with her free hand.

"For the love of God, Bella, stop talking in riddles," Dave begged, his heart breaking as he saw firsthand the misery living in her eyes, the moonlight casting her in an almost ethereal glow. "Just tell me what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Dave. I did," JJ told him brokenly, the words barely audible against the pounding rain. "I wanted more than you could give me."

"Jesus, Jen. What didn't we have together? Christ, do you think passion like we felt comes along every day?" he asked impatiently.

"Passion," JJ scoffed, lifting her eyes to the weeping sky. "I wanted more than passion, Dave. I wanted it all. I wanted the fairytale. I didn't just want to be the woman filling your bed."

Pain like he'd never experienced before threatened to rip him apart as rivulets of water rolled down his neck and he stared at her, for once in his life completely at a loss for words. Finally, hoarsely, his voice raw, he whispered, "See, that's where I'm confused, Jen. I thought I'd finally found the fucking fairytale. If you thought all you were doing was "filling my bed", maybe you weren't ready for happily ever after."

"How can you say that?" JJ asked in horror, wiping the back of her hand over her wet face, only to feel another wave of wetness as the clouds seemed to explode once again.

"Because, damn it, you were my miracle...my fucking salvation and you left me!" he yelled angrily. "You didn't give me a chance, JJ. You just walked away from me! I loved you. After I swore I'd never allow myself to fall in that trap again, I fell in love with you. And you just threw it all away."

"Do you realize that's the first time you ever said those words to me, Dave?" JJ choked tearfully, her heart wrenching as she tried to ignore the sound of that explosive declaration.

"No, it isn't," Dave shook his head in denial, his mind searching for a moment he could throw in her face and prove her wrong.

"Yeah," JJ whispered, brokenly. "It is."

"It can't be," Dave said softly, loosening his grip on her fragile wrist.

"It is," JJ replied sadly.

Glancing up at the full moon illuminating the night, Dave felt a shiver run through her arm as the rain continued to fall. Spotting a full copse of trees behind her, Dave tugged her arm gently, stroking his fingers against her damp skin. "C'mon, Bella. We need to continue this conversation and we're not exactly in a condition to return to the party."

Feeling his hand slide from her wrist to her hand, she fought down a fresh wave of tears as he laced his fingers with hers, his touch so heart wrenchingly familiar to her as he guided her to the relative shelter of the towering trees. He released her hand to shuck his tuxedo jacket, dropping it to the ground with one hand while he jerked off his tie with the other, shoving it in his pocket.

"Come here," he ordered, reaching up to pull her to him as he dropped to sit on the discarded jacket and pulled her shivering body down to his lap as he leaned against the tree trunk. He silently noted that she didn't resist when he pulled her against his chest and chafed his hands up and down her cool arms. "Are you warm enough?" he worried, memories of late nights in front of warm fires suddenly filling his thoughts.

"I'm okay," she whispered, uncertain what to say now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag. She had never allowed herself to imagine this very moment, afraid of disappearing dreams and false hopes that she could never attain.

Leaning his head back against the tree, he studied her profile in the moonlight. So hauntingly beautiful, his Jennifer. Almost ethereal. Sliding his hand over her long damp hair, he sighed. They'd both fucked up...all the way around. But at least he now knew how he'd fucked up...and that was half the battle.

* * *

_**This story is dedicated to all those that have given their lives far from home. May God be with you.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting for our stories to be posted. We appreciate your support and apologize for any delays. Real life, however, has taken precedence! We always want to be able to provide you with quality stories and chapters, so our postings may be a bit sporadic over the next month.**_

_**Please check out our most recent challenge on our forum – March Madness! The guidelines are simple: You suggest a pairing and choose a TV title from the list provided (shows are from the 70s, 80s, and 90s). We'll assign out the pairings & suggestions by March 4, and you have until March 31 to create just the perfect story based on the prompts you receive. Your final story does NOT have to be about the TV show prompt, but you do have to use the TV show title in the story somehow. Check out our forum, Chit Chat on Author's Corner, for details and to sign up…you can find a link on our profile pages.**_

_**And please, check out our new forum topic: A Fanfic Glossary! We want to know if you guys find it helpful and our topic thread "Our Stance on the 2010 Criminal Minds Fanfic Awards". We have also opened a Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior thread where you may discuss the show (respectfully, of course). We also have a forum announcing our fellow author's (Kathi1C) new IheartCriminalMinds blog. You can ask her questions and get directions on going to her site.**_

_**As always, we do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters that we so enjoy writing. If we did own them, we would have never had JJ leave!**_

* * *

**The Beautiful Sound of Rain**

**Chapter Four**

He knew he had to apologize. He owed her that. But first, he had to figure out how she felt now...after he'd said so many hurtful things.

"Jen," he murmured softly, deliberately keeping his tone even. "Did you miss me?"

Swallowing, JJ grimaced as she wondered how to evade such a pointed question. Oh, hell, what was the point in lying to him now? "Every day," she replied baldly. "Every single lonely day."

"Me, too," he whispered as relief flooded him. Sighing heavily, Dave slid a heavy hand around JJ's neck, tilting her head to look at him. "I'm an idiot and you're a coward, babe. Together, we're our very own country western song."

"Dave..." JJ began tiredly.

"Tell me the truth, JJ," he ordered quietly, "Why did you really leave me?"

"I already answered that question, Dave," JJ mumbled as he pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist to secure her to his chest.

"Okay," Dave replied slowly, "Then tell me what your version of the fairytale was," he urged, his fingers playing lightly against the beaded sash at her waist.

"It doesn't matter now, Dave," JJ shook her head wearily, emotionally exhausted from the rather rapid turn of events.

"That's where you're wrong, Bella. It matters now more than ever," Dave countered, his tone gently implacable. "Tell me."

"What does every woman want?" JJ asked, her question rhetorical. "A man that loves her..."

"You have that, sweetheart. I might have been a fool, but I was always a fool that loved you," Dave interrupted softly, his free hand slid up to her jaw, turning her toward him again. "I still love you. I never stopped."

"You never said it," JJ whispered, meeting his eyes, the forest fading from her view as she focused only on him. "Not once."

"I just assumed...I thought...I screwed up, Jennifer. That was inexcusable and I deserved your anger. But instead, you ran away. You ran away and never gave me a chance to make things right."

"No woman wants to beg to be loved, Dave. I do have some pride. Not a lot, but just enough to stop me from baring my soul to you. I told you...I put myself on the line countless times and said I loved you. I couldn't bring myself to ask you to love me back...not when there was a risk that you didn't feel it, too."

"I felt it, Jen. I still feel it," Dave replied forcefully, certain in his beliefs. Breathing deeply as he felt her settle deeper against him, he murmured, "What else does your fairytale entail?"

Shrugging, JJ stared at the rain still steadily falling, the occasional drop landing against her skin. "Marriage...home...a family. All the things you seem to shun."

"I don't shun them, babe," Dave rumbled, dropping his head against her shoulder and squeezing his eyes closed. "I'm afraid of them. Hell, I've screwed all that up three times. I didn't want to risk screwing them up for you, too. But none of that means that isn't what I wanted, too."

Releasing the shaky breath she'd been holding in, JJ swallowed. "What does all that mean now, Dave?"

"It means that now is the time to lay all our cards on the table and put the miscommunication behind us," he said softly, shifting her in his arms. "You ran from me because you didn't think I had it in me to give you what you wanted. Something that you actually had all along. The one thing you can bank on here is that I love you with everything I've got. But I'm not a mind reader any more than you are, Sweetheart. If you're pissed, yell at me. If I hurt you, tell me. Give me a chance to fix it. Trust me, babe, from one former runner to another, eventually you're gonna trip. Let me be the one to catch you. I swear to God, I won't let you hit the ground."

"Are you sure?" JJ asked hoarsely, her hope building in spite of the obstacles still standing in their way.

"God, yes," Dave vowed, framing her face with shaking hands. "Give us this chance, Bella. You won't ever wonder again how much I love you again. You hear it...see it...taste it," he whispered, pressing his lips to hers. "Tell me you love me again, Jennifer. Test me. See what I've learned."

Lips quivering, JJ's heart lurched in her chest as their wet clothing molded together. "I love you," she said shakily.

"I love you, too, Jennifer," Dave replied solemnly, raising his hand to cup her dampened cheek. "So much that I ache with it. I love you," he whispered against her ear as she buried her face against his neck.

JJ sobbed as he repeated himself over and over again, his words husky against her temple as he eased her back against the soft moss below them. Pressing her lips to his to stop the litany, JJ kissed him with all the pent-up emotion of the last several weeks. "I'm so sorry I ran," she said, tearing her lips from his to stare up at him.

"No more running. Not for either of us," he promised, wiping her drenched cheeks with shaking fingers.

"No more running," she agreed with a ready nod as he helped her sit up.

"Let's go home, Bella," Dave murmured huskily, rising to his feet and helping her up.

"Whose home?" JJ asked, lifting nervous eyes to his.

"The only one that matters. Ours," he smiled, pressing another lingering kiss to her lips as she leaned against him.

Nodding, JJ returned his kiss eagerly, her heart suddenly elated as she felt a lightness pervade her very soul. "There's no place else I'd rather go."

"That's good," Dave grinned as he wriggled his eyebrows, scooping her up into his arms as he strode toward the light-filled windows. "Because there's no place else you'll ever be again. Not without me."

And there wasn't.

_**Finis**_

* * *

_**Dedicated to my husband. Even far from home, you're with me constantly.**_


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